Continuous cube-drying oven



L. L. EDMUNDS 1,770,102

CONTINUOUS CUBE DRYING OVEN July 8, 1930.

Filed Aug. 20, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

TTORNEYS.

July 8, 1930. 1.. EDMUNDS 1,770,103

CONTINUOUS cum; DRYING ovnu Filed Aug. 20, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

July 8, 1930. EDMUNDS 1,770,102

CONTINUOUS CUBE DRYING OVEN Filed Aug. 20, 1928 3 Sheets-$heet 3INVENTOR. $01M alnumd A TTORNEYS.

Patented July 8, 1930 UNETE STATES LOUIS L. EDMUNDS, OF CROCKETT,CALIFORNIA CONTINUOUS CUBE-DRYING OVEN Application filed August 20,1928. Serial .No. 300,715.

My present invention relates to a conveyor type of drier and moreparticularly to a cube drying oven for use in the manufacture of cubesugar and the like.

In a prior patent, issued to me June 26, 1928, Number 1,675,260, I havedisclosed a continuous cube drying machine wherein her, and a blowerwhich would operate to draw air in through the scrubber and force itthrough the heater compartment and then into the cube dryingcompartment. It was found that this arrangement required considerablevaluable floor space and could not be convenientlyinstalled except in arelatively large room.

While this arrangement worked very satisfactorily, it was found shortlyafter the machine was put into operation that the sugar cubes, whendischarged from the oven, were so hot that they could not beconveniently handled by the packers and, as a result, it was necessaryto provide'a means for cooling the cube sugar so that it could behandled and packed and, since the discharge from the drier wassubstantially continuous, the solution of this problem involved theprovision of a relatively long conveyor which carried the sugar throughthe room a dis tance which would permit the sugar to cool sufiicientlyfor handling. This additional feature also required considerableadditional space and it is therefore an object of my present inventionto provide a cube drying oven which will overcome the aboveobjectionable features.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference should be had tothe accom- 50 panying drawings, wherein I have shown by way ofillustration, an embodiment of my invention in a cube drier of the typedisclosed in my above referred to patent.

In these drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation in section taken alongline II of Figure 2, showing the interior arrangement of my drier,

Figure 2 is a plan view in section taken alongline II-II of Figure 1,and

Figure 3 is an end elevation in section of my invention taken along lineIII-III of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 10 designates an outershell or housing adapted to enclose the mechanism with which the presentinvention is concerned. This housing 10 is adapted to permit acirculation of air therethrough from end to end. At one end there isshown an air inlet 11 and at the other end an outlet or exhaust 12. Tothese openings there may be attached suitable conduits for conductingthe air to and from the heater. In connection with the air'inlet 11there is shown a suitable blower 18. It should be understood that thisblower can be mounted anywhere within the conduit 11, its object beingto create a forced circulation of air through the housing 10.

By referring to Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that there is providedwithin the housing 10 a plurality of vertically moving con veyors whichare adapted to carry suitable trays upon which the material to be driedis placed. These trays, one of which is designated by the numeral 14 onFigure 1, are fed into the housing 10 upon a suitable conveyor chain 15.The chain 15 carries suitable followers so that the trays 14 will bemoved in spaced relation therealong. Similar followers are mounted upona second and similar chain 16 along the top of the vertical conveyors sothat when the device is in operation these chains will move the trayslengthwise through the housing, as will hereinafter appear. The chains15 and 16 and the vertically moving conveyors are driven with anintermittent movement by suitable means, and the movement of thesechains and the conveyors is so timed that the chains will move when theconveyors are stationary and vice versa. As a result of this movement,the trays 14 Will be first moved into engagement with the lower part ofthe first or up wardly moving set of vertical conveyors and the top traytherein will be moved horizontally into the next or downwardly movingconveyor. This operation will be carried out throughout the length ofthe drier, the trays moving in the direction indicated in Flgure 2 bythe letters U for up and D for down. It is thought that a furtherexplanation of the specific construction of these conveyors isunnecessary inasmuch as a full disclosure thereof is made in the aboveidentified patent.

At a suitable point within the housing 10 7 s'ures against overheatingof the sugar clue; to exposure to excessive heat.v In this connectionthere is provided below each of the radiators 17 and 18a suitable baflieor par tition 19. This partition 19 is so arranged that it will projectbetween the heater and the tray of sugar passing to the next succeedingupwardly moving conveyor. After the trays 14 with their contents havepassed under either of the heaters 17- or 18, they will move intoengagement with the next upwardly moving conveyor and then, afterpassing through this conveyor to the next or downwardly moving conveyorand so on, they will finally be discharged from the bottom of the lastdownwardly moving conveyor and out of the housing 10, where they willthen be transferred to a suitablepoint for the purpose of packing orfurther treatment.

The number of vertically moving conveyors arranged either ahead of, orbehind,

the heater units 17 or 18 with respect to the movement of thetrays isimmaterial, as any number otsuch conveyors may be provided, the onlyconsideration being the nature of the product being treated and theamount of time required within the drier. It is presumed that a greaternumber of vertically moving conveyors will be necessary ahead of theheater elements than will be necessary thereb ebind; however, thepartiCu lar conditions encountered will, as stated above. deteri'ninethis factor.

. In Figure 2 of the drawing, it will be seen that'the heater elements17 and 18 are arranged across the housing :10 in a staggered relation.The reason for this is to reduce the total length of the housing 10 andto place the heater in the same relative position with respect to thepreceding downwardly moving conveyor. The main consideration for thisarrangement is principally because of the desire to pass the materialbeing dried under the heater rather than over it, and it will thereforebe readily seen that by staggering the radiators as shown, the length ofthe housing may be reduced to a degree equal to the width of one of thevertical conveyors.

By referring to Figure 3 of the drawing, itwill be seenthat the heaterelements 17 and 18 are of such proportions that they provide a radiatingsurface substantially equal to the height and breadth of the verticalconveyor system so that the air circulated will pass in a direct linetherethrough and between the trays being conveyed by the verticallymoving conveyors.

-The operation or" my improved drier is as follows: It will be assumedthat the trays 14 are being fed into the drier upon the chains 15 asillustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings and that the vertically movingconveyors are operating intermittentlyin synchronism with the movementof the chains 15 and 16, as previously described. Under these conditionsthe trays 14 will be moved into engagement with the first or upwardlymoving flight of conveyors. The chains 15 and 16 will then come to astop and the vertically moving conveyors will then move thedistance ofone tray flight either up or down, as the case may be; the chains 15 and16 will then move again a distance equal to the spacing of the verticalconveyors and thus at the bottom of the vertical conveyors, trays willbe moved into the next upwardly moving conveyor and the uppermost trayof these conveyors will be transferred to the top flight of the nextsucceeding downwardly moving conveyor. This will cause the sugar orother material. being dried to be moved vertically up and down as itprogresses through the drier. It is assumed that the blower 13' is inoperation. and that the heaters 17 and 18 are supplied with a suitableheating medium. Under these conditions the blower 13 will. force acirculation of air, preferably cool. fresh air drawn from the outside ofthe building, through. the housing 10 and between the trays carried bythe last few vertically moving conveyors where it will .cool the sugaror other material which has been previously heated. in its travelthrough the forward part of the housing 10. The air, after passingthrough these conveyors with their heated material. will absorb the heatcontained thereby and effect cooling thereof. This air with its absorbedheat will then pass through the heater elements 17 and18, where it willbe heated to a higher and more suitable temperature for the dryingoperation. This hot air, after passing through the heaters, willcontinue on through the housing per and hottest part thereof and movedown- 10 between the trays of material carried by Wardly therealong andthereafter pass under the conveyors arranged thereahead and will theheater to the cooling compartment and then flow from the drier housingthrough the thus avoid scorching of the sugar.

outlet 12 to a suitable exhaust. I

From the above it will be seen that I have provided a new and noveldrier for cube sugar and the like which is practical, eificient, and onewhich will require a minimum of space. It will also be seen that,because of the particular arrangement, each of the trays of materialwill be subjected to substantially the same drying and cooling action,irrespective of the tray upon which it happens to be, and that becauseof thefreedom of move-. ment of air therethrough, it will be possible tosupply a greater quantity without resorting to a drier of excessivesize, and while I have shown by way of illustration only one embodimentof my invention, I desire to have it understood that it may be carriedout in a number of other ways Without departing from the spirit andscope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. A drier for cube sugar and the like comprising anelongated housing, a system of conveyors adapted to receive trays ofmaterial and progressively carry the trays in a sinuous path throughsaid housing, a blower at the discharge end of said housing adapted tomaintain a circulation of air through said housing and between saidtrays in counter direction to the travel of the material, and a heaterarranged vertically intermediate the ends of said housing and saidconveyor system and forming an air heating zone extending completelyacross the housing, whereby the air from said blower will pass throughsaid heater and between said trays to heat and dry the introducedmaterial and before passing through said heater act to cool thepreviously heated material before it is discharged from the housing.

2. A drier for cube sugar and the like comprising an elongated housing,a system of vertically moving conveyors adapted to carry a plurality oftrays in spaced horizontal positions, means to move said trayshorizontally to place them upon and remove them from said verticallymovable conveyors, a heater intermediate the ends of said housingextending vertically adjacent said moving trays and dividing the housinginto a drying and a cooling compartment, and means for maintaining acirculation of air through said housing, whereby said air will passdirectly through said heater and between said trays in a substantiallyhorizontal direction counter to the direction of travel of the trays,the arrangement of said conveyors being such that the trays containingwet sugar cubes will approach closely to the heater at the up- LOUIS L.EDMUNDS.

